[Click here for readings.] When I was four or five years old, my mother took me Wheaton Plaza Shopping Center, in Wheaton, Maryland, to see Santa Claus. Any four-year old will tell you: this is a very big deal. And it was even more so for me, because I wanted a new two-wheel bike, with monkey bars and a banana seat. I was hoping to have a good talk with Santa about it. But this particular year, I was coming... Read more
A brief glimpse at some of the ambitious work now underway in midtown Manhattan, restoring one of the most famous churches in America. Take a look. Read more
Some provocative insights on Pope Francis from a provocative former Franciscan, via Vatican Insider: “Three weeks before Bergoglio’s election, I tweeted: Francis is going to be the next Pope because as St. Francis did, the Church needs someone who can restore its lost credibility…” Leonardo Boff no longer wears a habit after his clash with Rome over his theological beliefs. He left the Franciscan order and is now married but his beard, which is whiter than ever, looks exactly the... Read more
[Click here for readings.] When I was four or five years old, my mother took me Wheaton Plaza Shopping Center, in Wheaton, Maryland, to see Santa Claus. Any four-year old will tell you: this is a very big deal. And it was even more so for me, because I wanted a new two-wheel bike, with monkey bars and a banana seat. I was hoping to have a good talk with Santa about it. But this particular year, I was coming... Read more
That’s the headline accompanying the piece below in the Columbus Dispatch. The headline and story, I think, reveal much about both the people in the pews and the perception many have of the Church. Details: As they drove home from a recent funeral in Cincinnati, the 60-something Westerville couple started thinking about the plans they had made for their own burials, and those of their children. What would happen, they asked each other, when their openly gay son died? Would... Read more
Details: Pope Francis has shown the world his rebellious side, urging young Catholics to shake up the church and make a “mess” in their dioceses by going out into the streets to spread the faith. It’s a message he put into practice by visiting one of Rio’s most violent slums and opening the church’s World Youth Day on a rain-soaked Copacabana Beach. Francis was elected pope on a mandate to reform the church, and in four short months he has... Read more
This striking photograph from WYD shows Pope Francis clearly wearing a chotki around his wrist—something I can’t recall seeing with any other pope. What’a chotki? It’s a kind of “prayer rope,” similar to the rosary, used by the Orthodox and Eastern rite Catholics. From Wikipedia: When praying, the user normally holds the prayer rope in the left hand, leaving the right hand free to make the Sign of the Cross. When not in use, the prayer rope is traditionally wrapped around... Read more
This tragic news broke earlier in the week: More than 200 mourners gathered Monday at a Cudahy church to remember Father Jan Kieliszewski, who was found dead Sunday morning at nearby Nativity of the Lord Parish. The Milwaukee County medical examiner’s office ruled Kieliszewski’s death a suicide, according to the Archdiocese of Milwaukee. Archdiocese spokesman Julie Wolf said the priest had been ill for a couple of weeks. But Wolf said she knew of no other circumstances that might have... Read more
With all the frenzy about the unfortunately-named Anthony Weiner, it can be easy to forget that there are other people running for the mayor of New York. One of them is John Catsimatidis, a Greek American businessman. He’s not that well-known to many New Yorkers, so he’s trying to get his name and image out there with a lot of TV ads, including the one below. It features something I don’t think I’ve ever seen before: a priest speaking on behalf... Read more
That’s New York’s Cardinal Timothy Dolan, talking about—who else?—Pope Francis. From an interview with NCR’s John Allen: You were one of the cardinals who elected Francis, and presumably you had some idea of what kind of pope he would be. To what extent has it turned out the way you expected? In some ways, it’s been exactly what I expected. One of the things we looked for was a very savvy pastor, a good man on the ground. To use... Read more
The Deacon's Bench
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